Men and women from four states recently completed the two-day Essentials of Fire Chaplaincy course in Beavercreek. The class was hosted by the Ohio Federation of Fire Chaplains at Hawker United Church of Christ. Chaplain Pete Shaffer of West Portsmouth, Ohio, and Chaplain John Long from Maryland were the instructors.

Completing the class were Chaplain Randy Adams of Cincinnati, Chaplain B.J. Ash from Michigan, Larry Bingaman of Pennsylvania, Chaplain Carley Brewster of New Paris, Chaplain Jill Bryan of Illinois, Chaplain Dennis Burger of Montville, Chaplain Emory Clark of Jeffersonville, Laura Coykendall of Mount Vernon, Chaplain Brent Hohenberger of Centerburg, Chaplain James Lewis of Pleasantville, Kevin Moore of Tipp City, Chaplain David Noel of Columbus, Chaplain Thomas Powell of Vienna, Chaplain Pat Reiber of Cincinnati, and Chaplain Austin Rissler of Mansfield.

"This course was created by experienced fire chaplains and is offered to new chaplains in the U.S. and Canada by the Federation of Fire Chaplains," said David Williamson, training officer for the Ohio fire chaplains group, chaplain of the Beavercreek Township Fire Dept., and pastor of Hawker Church. "Completing this course gives them a good foundation on which to build their volunteer ministry to firefighters, their families, and the public. And our instructors point them in the direction of the years of additional training they'll need to be really effective in meeting the emotional and spiritual needs of the men and women who deal with emergencies and trauma every day."

An advanced class focusing on caring for firefighters and their families in the wake of line-of-duty deaths and injuries, "Taking Care of Our Own," will be offered in Beavercreek on Tuesday, November 2, 2021. Visit OhioFFC.org to learn more, and tinyurl.com/TCOOO to register. The class is free, and includes lunch.